Position Sensor on a Treadmill

ABSTRACT

A treadmill system includes a deck, an endless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck, a position sensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on the tread belt, and a control module that adjusts a speed of the tread belt in response to an output of the position sensor.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.62/029,375 filed on 25 Jul. 2014 and titled Position Sensor on aTreadmill. U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/029,375 is hereinincorporated by reference for all that it discloses.

BACKGROUND

Runners competing in triathlons face difficulty in preparing for racingbecause of a lack of effective training options for the cycling portionsof a race when outdoor cycling is unavailable or undesirable. Variousexercise bicycles simulate natural or outdoor cycling with varyingdegrees of success, but since a triathlete competes on his own bicycleand not the exercise equipment, stationary bike training is lesseffective in developing the muscle groups, balance, posture, and otherelements that can impact the competitor's efficiency and comfort whileriding his own bicycle.

Various systems have been devised to allow cyclists to ride on anendless tread belt, but all have come with significant limitations. Onesuch system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,219 to Papadopoulos. Inthis reference, a treadmill assembly includes a frame and a treadmillbelt. In addition, a sensor produces a signal representative of anaspect of the user's position relative to at least one point on theframe. A belt rotation assembly turns the belt with a speed related tothe signal. In one preferred embodiment the speed of the belt isinversely proportional to the distance between the user and the front ofthe treadmill. In another preferred embodiment the treadmill is sized tosupport a cycle. Other systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,618,353to Papadopoulos; U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,183 to Charles F. Lind, and U.S.Pat. No. 5,743,835 to Edward E. Trotter. Each of these references areherein incorporated by reference for all that they contain.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment of the invention, a treadmill system includes a deck,an endless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck, aposition sensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on thetread belt, and a control module that adjusts a speed of the tread beltin response to an output of the position sensor.

The control module may determine whether the user is on foot or on abicycle in response to the output of the position sensor.

The control module may adjust the speed of the tread belt in response toan output of position sensor.

The position sensor may include a tether attachable to the user or abicycle.

The tether may be wound in a reel.

The position sensor may detect a displacement of the tether.

The position sensor may detect a tension on the tether.

The control module may adjust the speed of the tread belt in response tothe tension.

The position sensor may include a wireless transceiver that receives awireless signal when the user or a bicycle is on the tread belt, whereinthe control module determines the position of the user or the bicyclerelative to the tread belt in response to a signal received with thewireless transceiver.

The wireless signal may include the position of the user or the bicycle.

The wireless signal may include a gear setting of the bicycle.

The control module may determine a type of exercise performed on thetread belt in response to a vertical position of the user sensed withthe position sensor.

The control module may determine the work performed by the user based atleast in part on a type of exercise performed by the user.

The control module may adjust the speed of the tread belt more slowlywhen the user is performing a cycling exercise than when the user isperforming foot exercise.

In one embodiment of the invention, a treadmill system includes a deck,an endless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck, aposition sensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on thetread belt, and a processor and memory. The memory includes programmedinstructions executable by the processor to adjust a speed of the treadbelt based on an output of the position sensor, determine whether theuser is on foot or on a bicycle based on the output of the positionsensor, and determine an amount of work performed by the user based atleast in part a type of exercise performed by the user.

The programmed instructions may be executable by the processor to adjustthe speed of the tread belt more slowly when the user is performing acycling exercise than when the user is performing foot exercise.

The position sensor may include a tether attachable to the user or thebicycle.

The tether may be wound in a reel.

The position sensor may detect a displacement of the tether.

In one embodiment of the invention, a treadmill system includes a deck,an endless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck, and aposition sensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on thetread belt. The position sensor includes a tether attachable to the useror a bicycle that is wound in a reel, and the position sensor detects adisplacement of the tether. The treadmill system also includes aprocessor and memory. The memory includes programmed instructionsexecutable by the processor to adjust a speed of the tread belt based onan output of the position sensor, determine whether the user is on footor on the bicycle based on the output of the position sensor, determinethe work performed by the user based at least in part a type of exerciseperformed by the user, and adjust the speed of the tread belt moreslowly when the user is performing a cycling exercise than when the useris performing foot exercise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the presentapparatus and are a part of the specification. The illustratedembodiments are merely examples of the present apparatus and do notlimit the scope thereof.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of a treadmill system inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a treadmill in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an example of a treadmill system in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an example of a treadmill system in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an example of a console in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an example of a treadmill system in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a flowchart of an example of a method for determining workperformed by a user on a treadmill in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7B is a flowchart of an example of a method for determining workperformed by a user on a treadmill in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of a method for determining workperformed by a user on a treadmill in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram of an example of a computer systemsuitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of an example of a bicycle attachmentin accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 depicts a perspective view of an example of a bicycle attachmentin accordance with the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar,but not necessarily identical, elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, a “property” of a wireless signal may include a physicalproperty of the signal such as, for example, a signal strength or thedirections in which the signal is propagated, and may include a codedproperty, such as a value modulated into the physical makeup of thesignal itself.

As used herein, a “transceiver” is broadly defined to include signalemitters, signal sensors, and emitter/sensors. A transceiver may includean actively detectable device (e.g., an active Wi-Fi antenna) or apassively detectable device (e.g., a radio frequency identification(RFID) tag).

As used herein, a “displacement” of an object may refer to a lineardisplacement, an angular displacement, or a displacement of anotherobject that is related to the object, such as the angular displacementof a reel on which a cord is wrapped, since the displacement of the reelis related to the linear displacement of an end of the cord.

The present description provides examples, and is not limiting of thescope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Thus, itwill be understood that changes may be made in the function andarrangement of elements discussed without departing from the spirit andscope of the disclosure, and various embodiments may omit, substitute,or add other procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, themethods described may be performed in an order different from thatdescribed, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also,features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combinedin other embodiments.

Turning now particularly to the figures, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of atreadmill system 100 having a treadmill 102 having a tread base 104, atransducer 110, and a control module 112. In some embodiments, thetreadmill 102 may also have additional components. The treadmill 102 mayallow a user to exercise on the tread base 104. The tread base 104 mayhave a deck 106 and a tread belt 108.

The deck 106 may be a base for the treadmill 102, stabilizing thetreadmill 102 and tread belt 108. The tread belt 108 may have asupportive surface below the tread belt 108, and in some cases mayinclude a base support structure for the entire treadmill 102. In someembodiments, the treadmill includes a frame that support a console andother components that the treadmill 102. The deck 106 may incline ordecline the exercise surface (e.g., the tread belt 108) for the user.The deck 106 may have a heat conductive material, such as, for example,aluminum and other heat conducting metals, composites, ceramics, andpolymers. Typical treadmill decks and tread belts, such as those coatedin phenolic resin, may not be able to withstand the heat applied by aloaded bicycle and tread belt 108 at cycling speeds, so a heatconductive material may prevent melting or other complications fromrising temperatures on the tread belt 108.

The tread belt 108 may be an endless tread belt driven with one or morerollers, flywheels, and/or motors. Preferably, the tread belt 108 mayhave an upper surface that moves backward while a user exercises on thetreadmill 104. Thus, a user may perform foot exercise on the tread base104 by ambulating on the tread belt 108. The tread base 104 may also besized to receive a bicycle on the tread belt 108. Thus, the user mayperform cycling exercises by riding a bicycle on the tread belt 108. Thetread base 104 may be enlarged compared to a typical tread base of atreadmill that engages solely in foot exercise. The tread belt 108 mayalso be stiffer than a typical treadmill to accommodate the stressesintroduced from cycling. In some embodiments the tread base 104 may havea tread belt 108 about 96 inches long and about 48 inches wide. Otherdimensions may be used, as is apparent to those skilled in the art,which dimensions may achieve a balance between space needed forcomfortable cycling and limiting the size and cost of the treadmill 102.

The treadmill 102 may have a transducer 110. The transducer 110 may be aposition sensor or motion transducer that detects and/or measure motionof the tread belt 108. For example, the transducer 110 may have anencoder or another type of sensor for tracking the distance that a pointon the tread belt 108 travels over time. The transducer 110 may also oralternatively determine the velocity of the motion of the tread belt108. In some embodiments, the transducer 110 measures an output of amotor or movement of a flywheel driving the tread belt 108, such as bymeasuring the angular displacement or velocity of a motor, roller,flywheel, or other component of the treadmill 102. Thus, movement of thetread belt 108 may be transduced with the transducer sensing the motionof tread belt 108 itself or other components that have movement andpositional properties related to the motion of the tread belt 108.

In embodiments where the transducer 110 functions as a position sensor,the transducer 110 may transduce an aspect of the position of the user,a bicycle, or other component in contact therewith in relation to thetread base 104. For example, the transducer 110 may sense the positionor velocity of the user relative to the tread base 104 using a wirelessrangefinder, such as an infrared emitter that emits infrared emissionstoward the user and an infrared sensor that senses reflections of theemissions. The transducer 110 may also sense a signal coming from theuser or the bicycle, as in a signal coming from a transmitter such as,for example, a smartphone, a Bluetooth® transmitter device, or otherwireless communications-enabled electronic transmitter. A passive devicecapable of wireless detection, such as a radio-frequency identification(RFID) tag, near-field communications (NFC) tag, or otherpassively-detectable device may also be detected with the transducer 110to establish the relative position of the user or bicycle.

In another example, the transducer 110 may sense the position of theuser by sensing the position of a device attached to the user orbicycle. The device may be a tether attached to the user's clothes,equipment, or person, or attached to a portion of the bicycle. Thetransducer 110 may sense tension of the tether to determine the relativeposition of the user with respect to the tread base 104. The device maybe a tether on a reel (as shown in FIG. 5), in which case the transducer110 may detect the displacement of the reeled tether (e.g., lineardisplacement of the tether or angular displacement of the reel) ortension of the tether as tether is pulled from the reel and/or reeledonto the reel, which detected measurements may correspond with theposition of the user or bicycle relative to the tread base 104.

The transducer 110 may provide an output to a control module 112. Thecontrol module 112 programmed to determine the type of exerciseperformed by the user. The exercise type may be determined with a singlefactor or multiple factors. Such factors may include the speed of thetread belt 108, the position of the user, the vertical position of theuser, output from a sensor on a bicycle, output from a sensorincorporated into a garment and/or shoe of the user, output from asensor carried by the user, another type of output, a user inputreceived at the console, another type of mechanism, or combinationsthereof. In some examples, the console may be constructed so that theuser can switch between a foot exercise mode and a cycling mode.

In some examples, the transducer 110 may output to the processor thetypes of motions that the transducer detects or other types ofinformation that it detects. Based in part or in full on such an output,the type of exercise may be determined. For example, the output of thetransducer 110 may be compared to a predetermined value, and therelationship of the transducer output to the predetermined value maydetermine the type of exercise performed on the tread base 104. In oneexample, if the output of the transducer 110 is the velocity of thetread belt 108, the exercise performed may be detected or determinedbased on whether the velocity is above a predetermined threshold levelthat indicates cycling is taking place instead of a foot exercise. Ifthe output of the transducer 110 includes a weight measurement, thecontrol module 112 may differentiate between foot exercise and cyclingbased on the weight of a bicycle being sensed in addition to the weightof the user.

The control module 112 may include a computer, a computing module, oranother control logic apparatus capable of receiving the output of thetransducer 110, determining the type of exercise performed, andconverting the information into work performed by the user for theparticular type of exercise being performed. The control module 112 maybe connected to a mechanism for displaying the amount of work performedto the user, such as a display (e.g., liquid crystal display (LCD)) on aconsole of the treadmill 102. In some embodiments, the control module112 may display the work performed in various measures, such as, forexample, in joules (J), kilocalories (kcal), Calories (Cal),Newton-meters (N•m), foot-pounds, other types of measurements, orcombinations thereof.

As a result, the treadmill system 100 may provide improved tracking ofwork performed by tracking work performed in a foot exercise and in acycling exercise. In some cases, the user does not have to affirmativelyact to cause the treadmill system 100 to recognize and adjust to eachtype of exercise being performed. In some embodiments, the treadmillsystem 100 may provide a tread base 104 that intelligently adjusts thespeed of a tread belt 108 based primarily on the position of the userand the type of exercise being performed. This allows the high speeds ofcycling to better simulate road-like conditions than existing solutions,such as, for example by providing a flatter riding surface on the treadbelt 108 than training rollers would provide. The treadmill 102 may alsodynamically and automatically increase and decrease speed of the treadbelt 108 to keep the cyclist on the treadmill 102. Thus, the cyclist isin control of the level of resistance he or she experiences on thetreadmill 102, and it may be easier to stay properly positioned when thecyclist starts and stops cycling. In some examples, no rigid connectionis made to the rider or the bicycle. So, the cyclist may use his ownequipment (e.g., bicycle). Further, the user may naturally changepositions on the bicycle or change position relative to the left andright sides of the tread belt 108 while running or riding, as he or shewould in common outdoor roadway conditions. When the cyclist transitionsfrom cycling exercises to foot exercises, the system 100 may quicklyreadjust from providing cycling-specific features to providing footexercise features. Such a transition may be executed by pressing of abutton or with an automated recognition that the type of exercise hasbeen changed. In all, these embodiments may improve the user experienceand quality of his workout and may reduce the exercise equipment neededfor multiple types of workouts, especially in the case of triathloncompetitions.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example of a treadmill system 200 of thepresent disclosure. The system 200 includes a treadmill 202 having atread base 104. The tread base 104 may be the same tread base 104 asdescribed and shown in connection with FIG. 1, such as including a deck106 and tread belt 108. The motion of the tread base 104 may be measuredwith a motion transducer 204 that feeds its output to a control module112. An exercise detection module 206 may also send output to thecontrol module 112. In some embodiments, a physiological sensor 208 mayalso send output to the control module 112. In some embodiments, thecontrol module 112 may provide control and instructions to a motor 210that drives one or more elements of the tread base 104 (e.g., the treadbelt 108), and in some embodiments the motor output is measured with themotion transducer 204. In some arrangements, the control module 112 mayalso output control and instructions to a user interface 212.

The motion transducer 204 may transduce the movement of elements of thetread base 104 or motor 210. For example, the motion transducer 204 maydetect linear displacement of the tread base 104 or angular displacementof the motor 210. The motion transducer 204 may detect velocity of thetread base 104 or motor 210 as well. In some embodiments, the motiontransducer 204 may monitor the motor 210 and tread base 104simultaneously to improve accuracy by comparison of these elements toeach other. The motion transducer 204 may be a linear or angular encoderor other digital or analog mechanism for detecting motion of the motor210 or tread base 104. In some embodiments, the motion transducer 204may detect motion of the user or a bicycle on the tread base 104, suchas movement forward or backward relative to a deck 106. The motiontransducer 204 may be connected to the control module 112 directly orthrough an interface element, such as, for example, a digital/analogconverter (DAC).

The exercise detection module 206 may include a switch or sensor thatdetermines the type of exercise being performed by the user on thetreadmill 202. For example, the exercise detection module 206 may be aswitch or other user-interactive element on a user interface (e.g., userinterface 212) that allows the user to select a foot exercise or acycling exercise on the treadmill 202. This element may be an electronicor physical switch, such as a button, but may also have other sensorelements such as a portion of a touch screen accessible by the user. Theuser may manipulate or touch the switch or other element to select afoot exercise mode, a cycling mode, or another type of mode.

In arrangements where the exercise detection module 206 is a sensor, themodule 206 may detect a user setting based on user actions or theposition of the user. For example, the exercise detection module 206 mayhave a coil that senses a magnet attached to the treadmill 202 that theuser places on the treadmill 202 when either a foot exercise or acycling exercise is being performed, and the sensing of the magnetindicates that the user has selected one of those settings. Similarly,the exercise detection module 206 may detect that a bike tether or otherpositioning element is being used that is only used in one exercise typeor only used in a certain way in one exercise type, and thereby detectthe type of exercise being performed on the treadmill 202 by inference.For example, if the treadmill 202 includes a retractable tether, theexercise detection module 206 may detect that the tether is in use basedon a reel holding the tether being unwound by a certain amount and basedon the determination of the tether being used, may detect that cyclingis being performed (in cases where the tether is only used for cycling).In another example, the exercise detection module 206 may determine themanner in which certain elements are being used, such as by detectingthat a tether is being pulled upward or downward relative to the reel,and thereby determine the exercise performed. In such cases, if thetether is pulled upward, the detection module 206 may indicate that theuser is cycling instead of exercising on foot, since the user is oftenhigher up while on a bicycle. Settings such as the detection height maybe adjustable or customizable to prevent or limit detecting falsepositives.

Other sensors may be used to detect other elements indicative of thetype of exercise being performed. For example, an inductive coil may bepositioned on the treadmill 202 to detect metallic objects on the treadbase 104 such as a bicycle and thereby detect whether cycling is beingperformed on the treadmill 202. In some arrangements, the bicycle orother cycling-related equipment (e.g., helmet, gloves, water bottle,clip-in cleats, etc.) may be equipped with a feature configured to bedetected with the exercise detection module 206 upon being positioned onthe treadmill 202. For example, the feature may be a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag, near-field communications (NFC) device, orother passively-detectable element attached to the cycling-relatedequipment or bicycle. The exercise detection module 206 may thus be anRFID, NFC, or other reader that detects the presence of the bicycle orother equipment and directs that information to the control module 112to make appropriate settings for cycling. In the event that suchelements are not detected near or in the operative position on thetreadmill 202, the control module 112 may adjust speed settings andother controls for foot exercise. Items that are used for a specifictype of exercise (e.g., a bicycle) may be referred to asexercise-specific equipment.

In another embodiment, the exercise detection module 206 may have asensor that detects an active wireless transceiver on the user orbicycle to determine the type of exercise being performed. For example,the user may have a wireless transceiver on his person that emits awireless signal detectable with the exercise detection module 206. Thewireless signal itself (or the absence thereof) may indicate the type ofexercise being performed. In some arrangements, the wireless transceivermay be a smartphone or other small electronic device on or around thetreadmill 202 that can emit the desired wireless signal.

The exercise detection module 206 may have a load cell or vibrationsensor that determines whether foot exercise or cycling exercise isbeing performed on the treadmill 202 based on the weight sensed or thenature of the impact of the exercise while the treadmill is beingoperated. For example, a load cell detecting discrete load signals (oranother periodic pattern) may indicate that the user is running on thetread belt 108 (due to the discrete or periodic impact of each foothitting the tread belt 108) as compared to cycling, which may produce arelatively continuous load on the load cell due to the continuouscontact of the bicycle wheels with the tread belt 108. In some examples,the load cell determines that a step occurs during a foot exercise whenthe load changes over a predetermined threshold that represents animpact between a foot and the deck. In some cases, small load changes,such as those under the predetermined threshold, may not indicate astep, but rather a user shifting weight during a cycling exercise. Inother situations, the location of the load on the deck may be a factorfor determining the type of exercise. For example, if two positions areload on a deck that resemble that of bicycle tires, the system maydetermine that a cycling exercise is occurring. Similarly, of the loadimparted into the deck occurs in an alternating pattern that reflectsthe movement of a user running, the system may determine that a footexercise is occurring.

The physiological sensor 208 may have a sensor that measures physicalcharacteristics of the user while he or she is using the treadmill 202.The physiological sensor 208 may therefore include a heart rate monitoror temperature sensor having output directed to the control module 112.The control module 112 may then use this information to improve thecalculation of work performed by the user on the treadmill 202. Forexample, if the physiological sensor 208 is a heart rate monitor (e.g.,an ECG), the heart rate of the user may be factored into the intensityof his workout, whether on foot or on a bicycle, and this indicator ofhis exertion may be used to calculate whether additional calories arebeing consumed in the exercise. The output of the control module 112 maythen more accurately reflect the user's workout. In some embodiments,the physiological sensor 208 may be attached to the user, but in otherembodiments, the physiological sensor 208 may be attached to thetreadmill 202. For example, heart rate monitoring electrodes may beincorporated into the handles of the bicycle and or hand holds of thetreadmill 202. In other embodiments the bicycle handles may be modifiedto take heart rate measurements. The use of heart rate-monitoringtreadmill handles or bicycle handles may be an indicator used in anexercise detection module 206 to determine the type of exercise beingperformed on the treadmill 202. In some embodiments, the physiologicalsensor 208 may be a weight measurement device for detecting the weightof the user. A body fat analyzer may also be incorporated as part of thephysiological sensor 208. By factoring the weight and/or body fat of theuser into the calculation of work performed, the calculation may takeinto account the amount of effort required by the user to travel acertain distance and accordingly adjust the estimated work performed. Insome embodiments, no physiological sensor 208 is included in thetreadmill system.

The motor 210 may be an electrical motor that drives the motion of theexercise surface (e.g., the tread belt 208) of the tread base 104. Themotor 210 may be controlled with the control module 112 according to thetype of exercise being performed, such as, for example, by increasingthe velocity of the exercise surface when cycling is being performed. Insome arrangements, the motor 210 may be controlled to increase ordecrease speed in response to measurements regarding the position of theuser as well, as described in more detail below in connection with FIG.8. The output of the motor 210 may be part of a feedback loop with themotion transducer 204 to monitor the speed and motion of the elements ofthe tread base 104 being driven with the motor 210. In some embodiments,a motor 210 may not be used, such as when the tread base 104 is drivenby the motion of the user or bicycle or when the tread base 104 includesa flywheel.

A user interface 212 may be linked to the control module 112. The userinterface 212 may have a display, control features, buttons, conditionalindicators (e.g., LEDs or buzzers), and other interactive or displayfeatures. The user interface 212 may therefore exchange informationbetween the user and the control module 112. In some embodiments, theuser interface 212 may have a console extending from the tread base 104.The console may include the display, switches, and other elements of theuser interface 212. The exercise detection module 206 may receiveinformation from the user interface 212 regarding the exercise selectedby the user, or the exercise detection module 206 may be included aspart of the user interface 212 for that reason. For example, a user mayselect the type of exercise to be performed with the treadmill 202 bymanipulating a switch, button, or other element found in the userinterface 212. Elements of the user interface 212 may be positioned onthe console, and some elements may be positioned on side rails of thetreadmill 202, as described below in connection with FIGS. 3 and 5.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a treadmill system 300 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The treadmill 302 may include atread base 304 that may have a deck 306 and a tread belt 308. The treadbase 304 may also include a support frame 310 that may rest on a supportsurface (e.g., a floor). The frame 310 may have one or more uprightsupports 312 connected to a console 314, side rails 316, and uprighthandles 318. A cyclist 320 may be positioned on a bicycle 322 riding onthe tread belt 308. The bicycle 322 may be connected to the treadmill302 through a tether 324. The bicycle 322 may also have one or moreadditional wheels 326 extending from at least one of its wheels intocontact with the tread base 304. These additional wheels may contact thetread base 304 at all times, or may be raised from the tread base 304 toonly contact the tread base 304 when the bicycle tilts to a certainangle. Thus, the additional wheels 326 may be configured similar totraditional training wheels, where one wheel is positioned extending toeach side of the bicycle 322 from an extension bar 328. Using theadditional wheels 322 may improve the stability of the bicycle 322 forthe cyclist while the tether 324 is in use. The additional wheels 322may be designed to have low friction when in contact with the tread belt308 to damage prevent heat induced damage to the tread belt 308 while inuse.

The tether 324 may removably attach to the bicycle 322 or to the user320. The tether 324 may be part of a motion or position sensing systemor as part of an exercise detection module, such as by connection with atransducer 110, motion transducer 204, and/or exercise detection module206. In such cases, the tension or displacement (e.g., lineardisplacement of the tether or angular displacement of a tetherretraction reel) of the tether 324 and related portions of the treadmill302 may be used to determine the position of the user 320 or bicycle322. The position of the user 320 or bicycle 322 may then be used tocontrol the speed of the tread belt 308, or to determine the type ofexercise performed. The tread base 304 may include a motor (not shown)to drive the tread belt 308 and may be capable of inclination anddeclination. The motor, or another motor (e.g., motor 402 of FIG. 4),may be used to incline and decline the deck 306 and tread belt 308.Thus, the deck 306 and tread belt 308 may be used for cycling or footexercise in an inclined or declined angle.

FIG. 4 shows an illustration of the treadmill system 300 where the deck306 and tread belt 308 are inclined, and a running user 400 is engagingin foot exercise on the inclined surface. This view also shows the motor402 used to incline or decline the tread base 304. The tread base 304 inthese example embodiments is pivotable at the rear end of the deck 306,but in other embodiments the deck 306 may pivot at a midpoint or frontend.

The side rails 316 of the treadmill 302 may extend along the length ofthe tread base 304. The side rails 316 may also include controls for thespeed, incline, and other features (e.g., controls of a preprogrammedroutine or controls of an onboard video/audio system) of the treadmill302. By placing at least some of the controls on the side rails 316, thecontrols may be accessible while cycling. Other controls (e.g., on theconsole 314) may be unduly difficult to reach and control while cyclingsince the cyclist 320 is behind handlebars and a front wheel of thebicycle 322. Extended side rails 316 may also provide an additionalpoint of stability for a cyclist mounting a bicycle on the tread belt308 and help keep the bicycle in position on the tread belt 308.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a console 314 according to an embodiment ofa combined foot exercise and cycling treadmill. The console 314 may beconsole 314 described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4. The console 314may be supported with upright supports 312 and side rails 316. Theconsole 314 may be positioned nearby upright handles 318. The console314 may include a screen 500, interactive buttons 502, 504, speakers506, a safety clip 508, a tether attachment point 510 (which may includea tether attachment reel 512), air vents 514, and storage spaces 516.The upright handles 318 may have sensors 518 such as heart rate or bodyfat sensors to collect data about the user while he or she exercises.Side rail controls 520 may conveniently allow control of at least somesettings of the treadmill while the user is cycling and the otherbuttons 502, 504 may be difficult to reach.

The buttons 502, 504 may be used to control the speed, incline, video,audio, vents' 514 output, and other settings of the treadmill. In someembodiments, the buttons 502, 504 may include a feature for specifyingthe type of exercise being performed on the treadmill, such as, forexample, an exercise type toggle button or selection switch.

The safety clip 508 may be attached to a tether extending from theconsole 314 to attach to the user or his bicycle while riding thetreadmill. This tether may act as a safety mechanism in that when thetether is pulled far enough from the clip 508, the clip 508 may beremoved and cause the treadmill to immediately or gradually stop motionof the exercise surface (e.g., the tread belt).

A positioning tether may extend from the attachment point 510 to theuser or bicycle. The positioning tether may be used in positioning theuser or bicycle relative to the treadmill, such as in positioning theuser or bicycle relative to the console 314. The positioning tetherattached to the attachment point 510 may hang from the console 314, andthe tension in the positioning tether may be measured to detect theposition of the user based on the weight of the positioning tether andthe distance between the attachment point 510 and the user or bicycle.In these embodiments, the positioning tether may have a constant lengththat does not extend or retract from the console. Some arrangements mayhave a positioning tether having elastic properties, wherein the lengthof the positioning tether may not be constant, but the tension in thepositioning tether between the user or cycle and the console 314 mayincrease or decrease in response to movement of the user or bicyclerelative to the console 314. In another embodiment, the positioningtether may be wound around a tether attachment reel 512 that unwinds andrewinds the positioning tether as the user or bicycle moves toward oraway from the console 314. Thus, angular displacement of the reel 512 orlinear displacement of the positioning tether may correlate with theposition of the user or bicycle. A motion or position transducer at theattachment point 510 may read the displacement of the tether or reel 512and send that information to a control module to determine the exerciseperformed or to control the speed of the tread base.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a treadmill system 300 wherein a positiontransceiver 600 may be used to control settings of the treadmill 302.The position transceiver 600 may be attached to the bicycle or to theuser. The position transceiver 600 may be an actively or passivelydetectable device, such as a signal emitter or RFID tag, as described ingreater detail in connection with the preceding figures.

The position transceiver 600 may be used as a reference point todetermine the position of the user or the bicycle. For example, theposition transceiver 600 may be attached to the user or the bicycle at apredetermined location, such as on a belt loop, collar, front handlebar,front fork, or other portion of the user or bicycle. Thus, a nominalposition of the position transceiver 600 relative to the tread belt 308may be established. In the illustrated embodiment, the positiontransceiver 600 is attached to a handlebar of the bicycle 322. Thecenter of bounding box 602 may be an exemplary nominal position for theposition transceiver 600. As the runner or cyclist exercises on thetread base 304, the position of the position transceiver 600 may bemonitored. If the position transceiver 600 moves forward toward thefront end 604 of the bounding box 602, the speed of the tread belt 308may be increased. Similarly, movement of the position transceiverbackward toward the rear end 606 of the bounding box 602 may result inthe speed of the tread belt 308 being decreased. These and other methodsof controlling the tread belt 308 are further set forth in FIG. 8. Bycontrolling the speed of the tread belt 308, the position transceiver600 may be automatically repositioned to stay in and around the nominalposition within the bounding box 602 based on the natural accelerationand deceleration of the operator. Thus, accelerating on foot or on abicycle causes the tread belt 308 to accelerate and the positiontransceiver 600 (and connected user or bicycle) is kept from falling offthe front of the tread base 304 or colliding with the upright supports312 or console 314.

In some embodiments, there may be no position transceiver 600 attachedto the user or bicycle. In such instances, the position transceiver 600may be replaced with a sensed position of a runner, cyclist, or bicyclethrough other means, such as through sensing the position using a tether(e.g., tether 324) or another positioning system (e.g., infrared- orlaser-rangefinding). In these embodiments, the movement of the sensedposition within the bounding box 602 may affect the speed of the treadbelt 308, as described in connection with the position transceiver 600.For example, the tread belt 308 may accelerate as the rangefinder sensesthe position of a bicycle approaching the front end 604 of the boundingbox 602.

The bounding box 602 may have adjustable dimensions. Some arrangementsmay have a bounding box 602 that is larger for running than for cycling,for example. This may be advantageous since the high speeds of cyclingcompared to running would allow for less margin of error in speedadjustments to keep the cyclist in a predetermined nominal position whencompared to running. Thus, when switching between settings for cyclingor foot exercise, the bounding box 602 size parameters may be adjusted.The amount of speed adjustment relative to motion within the boundingbox 602 may also vary based on the type of exercise being performed. Forexample, the tread belt 308 may accelerate/decelerate more per inch ofmovement within the bounding box 602 for cycling than for foot exercise.

In some embodiments, the position transceiver 600 may be detected withina vertical dimension of the bounding box 602, such as relative to thetop edge 608 and the bottom edge 610. This vertical position may be usedto determine the type of exercise being performed, such as a higherregister corresponding with cycling versus a lower register for running,or vice versa. Individual implementations may thus vary the verticalsize of the bounding box 602 to fit the needs of each user.

FIG. 7A is a flowchart of an example of a method for determining workperformed by a user on a treadmill in accordance with the presentdisclosure. The process 701 may be performed with a control module(e.g., control module 112 of FIGS. 1 and 2). At block 702, an output isreceived from a motion transducer. Such an output may indicate themotion of the user, the motion of the tread belt, the speed of the treadbelt, other parameters, or combinations thereof.

At block 703, the type of exercise performed on the tread belt isdetermined. This determination may be made, at least in part, from theoutput of the motion transducer. In one particular example, the motiontransducer determines the speed of the tread belt. If the speed of thetread belt if high enough, the type of exercise may be determined to bea cycling exercise. On the other hand, if the speed is below typicalcycling speeds, the type of exercise may be determined to be a footexercise. But, the exercise type determination may be based oninformation other than the output from the motion transducer. Forexample, a position sensor may provide information that indicates thatthe user is at a vertical position typical when the user is riding abicycle. In other examples, the exercise type is determined based onuser input. In some cases, multiple factors may be considered todetermine the type of exercise. Additionally, a learning mechanism maybe used to analyze the success rate of accurately determining theexercise type. In situations where the exercise type was incorrectlydetermined, such a learning mechanism may reminder the conditions tocorrectly determine the exercise type in future situations.

At block 704, an amount of work performed by the user on the tread beltis calculated based on the output of the motion transducer. Cyclingexercises may allow a user to travel a greater distance with lessexertion as compared to foot exercises. Thus, the system may applydifferent equations for determining the work performed, or the systemmay perform a scaling process to calculate the work performed based onthe exercise type.

FIG. 7B is a flowchart of an example of a method for determining workperformed by a user on a treadmill in accordance with the presentdisclosure. The process 700 may be performed with a control module(e.g., control module 112 of FIGS. 1 and 2). At block 705, adetermination is made of whether the user is performing foot exercise orcycling on the treadmill. This may be performed using the exercisedetection module 206, bounding box 602, or other related exercisedetection elements discussed previously herein. For example, determiningwhether the user is performing foot exercise or cycling may includedetermining the position of the user relative to the treadmill ordetecting a wireless signal coming from the user or a device on the useror the bicycle (e.g., a position transceiver 600).

At block 710, a movement property of a tread surface of the treadmill isreceived. The tread surface may be a tread belt (e.g., tread belt 108)or other moving surface of the treadmill on which exercise is performed.The movement property may be output with a transducer, such astransducer 110 or motion transducer 204. The movement property may bethe displacement of the tread surface, the rate of displacement of thetread surface, or a displacement of a component connected thereto, suchas a motor output shaft (e.g., on motor 210) or a flywheel. The movementproperty (e.g., distance traveled) may be stored with the controlmodule.

At block 715, the control module may calculate the distance traveled bythe user. This may entail reading stored data including the movementproperty received in block 710 to determine the overall distancetraveled over a certain period of time (or over all-time). In somearrangements, the movement property itself may be a cumulative property,so there may be no calculation of the distance traveled, or thecalculation may be simply converting a “count” (e.g., from an encoder)or other cumulative measurement into a distance usable in blocks 720and/or 725.

At block 720, the work performed by the user is calculated based on thedistance traveled. This calculation may include determining the energyoutput by the user (or an average user) over the distance traveled, ascalculated in block 715 (or as provided in block 710). For example, foran average user, the energy output needed to travel one kilometer may bea known quantity, so in block 720, the work performed may beproportional to that known quantity. In other embodiments, thecalculation may include determining an energy output per unit distancefor a user having the weight, size, sex, and other characteristics ofthe user on the treadmill, as will be understood by those having skillin the art and having the benefit of the present disclosure. Inperforming block 720, the control module may use the determinationreached in block 705 of the exercise being performed to determine thework performed. For example, since cycling is typically lesswork-intensive than foot exercise per unit distance, the calculation ofblock 720 may use a different known quantity for each type of exercise.

In some embodiments, block 725 may also be performed, where the workperformed may be scaled according to the type of exercise beingperformed, such as, for example, by applying a scaling factor thatconverts work performed over a given distance by cycling into workperformed by foot exercise, or vice versa. The work performed may becalculated based on the incline or decline of the deck, since inclineand decline may affect the exertion needed to move along the tread beltthrough a unit distance. Thus, the incline or decline of the deck may bepart of a scaling factor or determination of effective distancetraveled. Physiological sensor output (e.g., from physiological sensor208) may also be integrated into the work performed, as discussed ingreater detail above.

Following calculation of work performed (e.g., blocks 720 and/or 725)the control module may output the work performed. This may includeindicating the work performed on a display (e.g., screen 500) orpresenting the amount of work performed to the user through another typeof mechanism. This may also include sending a work performed value to acomputer or network location (e.g., the Internet). By determining thetype of exercise being performed in the process 700, the user may bettertrack his work performed no matter the kind of exercise he or she isperforming on the treadmill.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of a method for determining workperformed by a user on a treadmill in accordance with the presentdisclosure. The process 800 may be implemented with a control module(e.g., control module 112) of a treadmill (e.g., treadmill 102, 202). Inblock 805, the control module receives an exercise indicator indicatingwhether foot exercise or cycling is being performed on the treadmill.This exercise indicator may come from an exercise detection module 206,motion transducer 204, position transceiver 600, or other sensorassociated with the treadmill that is capable of differentiating betweenfoot exercise and cycling. For example, the exercise indicator may bebased on a user input (e.g., from a button pressed or other manualselection operation).

In block 810, the control module receives a signal from a positiontransducer. The signal indicates the position of the user or the bicyclerelative to the treadmill. For example, the position transducer mayindicate the position of the user or bicycle relative to a tread belt ofthe treadmill (e.g., tread belt 308). The position transducer may haveposition detectors and transducers discussed in connection with otherfigures, such as, for example, a tether 324, transducer 110, motiontransducer 204, exercise detection module 206, other like components,and combinations thereof. The position transducer may indicate whetherfoot exercise or cycling is being performed on the treadmill, asdiscussed in connection with the position transceiver 600 and otherelements above. For example, the exercise indication may indicate avertical position of the user or the bicycle, and that vertical positionmay be indicative of the type of exercise being performed. A wirelesssignal may be received as part of block 810, and the wireless signal mayhave a property indicating the position of the user or the bicyclerelative to the treadmill.

In block 815, the controller adjusts the speed of an exercise surface ofthe treadmill (e.g., the tread belt 108, 308) in response to theposition being greater than an upper threshold (e.g., the positiontransceiver 600 being closer to the front end 604 than the nominalposition) or less than a lower threshold (e.g., the position transceiver600 being closer to the rear end 606 than the nominal position). In someembodiments, the upper threshold and lower threshold may, respectively,be the front end 604 and rear end 606, or vice versa. The adjustment ofspeed may be proportional to the type of exercise being performed on thetreadmill, as determined or received in block 805. Thus, the controlmodule may accelerate a tread belt faster when the exercise indicatorindicates cycling and the position approaches the upper limit than whenthe exercise indicator indicates foot exercise and the positionapproaches the upper limit. In some arrangements, the upper and lowerthresholds may be different for each type of exercise as well. In someembodiments, adjusting the speed in block 815 may include stopping atread belt of the treadmill when the position of the user or the bicycleis greater than the upper threshold or less than the lower threshold.

In other arrangements, the upper and lower thresholds are only used forone type of exercise and ignored in the other. This may be used insituations where runners desire to train at a specified rate and do notwant the treadmill to adapt to their fatigue or spurts of exertion. Onthe other hand, cycling is often performed at higher treadmill speeds,and the user may more easily stay within the confines of the tread beltsurface when accelerating, braking, or coasting. Furthermore, anadaptive speed control for cycling may better simulate actual roadwayconditions.

FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram of a computer system 900 suitable forimplementing some embodiments of the present systems and methods. Forexample, the computer system 900 may be suitable for implementing thecontrol modules described herein as being on the treadmill (e.g.,control module 112 of FIG. 1). Computer system 900 includes a bus 905which interconnects major subsystems of computer system 900, such as acentral processor 910, a system memory 915 (typically RAM, but which mayalso include ROM, flash RAM, or the like), an input/output controller920, an external audio device, such as a speaker system 925 through anaudio output interface 930, an external device, such as a display screen935 (e.g., screen 500 of FIG. 5) through a display adapter 940, akeyboard 945 (interfaces with a keyboard controller 950) (or other inputdevice, e.g., buttons 502, 504 of FIG. 5), multiple universal serial bus(USB) devices 955 (interfaces with a USB controller 960), and a storageinterface 965. Also included are a mouse 975 (or other point-and-clickdevice) interfaced through a serial port 980 and a network interface 985(coupled directly to bus 905). In some embodiments, only some orportions of these elements are present and connected to the bus 905.

Bus 905 allows data communication between central processor 910 andsystem memory 915, which may include read-only memory (ROM) or flashmemory (neither shown), and random access memory (RAM) (not shown), aspreviously noted. The RAM is generally the main memory into which theoperating system and application programs are loaded. The ROM or flashmemory can contain, among other code, the Basic Input-Output system(BIOS) which controls basic hardware operation such as the interactionwith peripheral components or devices. For example, a control module 912to implement the present systems and methods may be stored within thesystem memory 915. The control module 912 may be one example of thecontrol module 112 described in connection with FIG. 1 and part ofvarious computing modules or controllers discussed herein. Applicationsresident with computer system 900 are generally stored on and accessedwith a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as a hard diskdrive (e.g., fixed disk 970) or other storage medium. Additionally,applications can be in the form of electronic signals modulated inaccordance with the application and data communication technology whenaccessed through interface 985.

Storage interface 965, as with the other storage interfaces of computersystem 900, can connect to a standard computer readable medium forstorage and/or retrieval of information, such as a fixed disk drive 970.Fixed disk drive 970 may be a part of computer system 900 or may beseparate and accessed through other interface systems. Network interface985 may provide a direct connection to a remote server (e.g., the serverdescribed above) through a direct network link to the Internet through aPOP (point of presence). Network interface 985 may provide suchconnection using wireless techniques, including digital cellulartelephone connection, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) connection,digital satellite data connection, or the like.

Many other devices or subsystems (not shown) may be connected in asimilar manner (e.g., document scanners, digital cameras, and so on).Conversely, all of the devices shown in FIG. 9 need not be present topractice the present systems and methods. The devices and subsystems canbe interconnected in different ways from that shown in FIG. 9. Theoperation of a computer system such as that shown in FIG. 9 is readilyknown in the art and is not discussed in detail in this application.Code to implement the present disclosure can be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as one or more of systemmemory 915 or fixed disk 970. The operating system provided on computersystem 900 may be iOS®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, Linux®, MACOS X®, or another like operating system.

While the foregoing disclosure sets forth various embodiments usingspecific block diagrams, flowcharts, and examples, each block diagramcomponent, flowchart step, operation, and/or component described and/orillustrated herein may be implemented, individually and/or collectively,using a wide range of hardware, software, or firmware (or anycombination thereof) configurations. In addition, any disclosure ofcomponents contained within other components should be consideredexemplary in nature since many other architectures can be implemented toachieve the same functionality.

The process parameters and sequence of steps described and/orillustrated herein (e.g., in connection with FIGS. 7-8) are given by wayof example only and can be varied as desired. For example, while thesteps illustrated and/or described herein may be shown or discussed in aparticular order, these steps do not necessarily need to be performed inthe order illustrated or discussed. The various exemplary methodsdescribed and/or illustrated herein may also omit one or more of thesteps described or illustrated herein or include additional steps inaddition to those disclosed.

Furthermore, while various embodiments have been described and/orillustrated herein in the context of fully functional computing systems,one or more of these exemplary embodiments may be distributed as aprogram product in a variety of forms, regardless of the particular typeof computer-readable media used to actually carry out the distribution.The embodiments disclosed herein may also be implemented using softwaremodules that perform certain tasks. These software modules may includescript, batch, or other executable files that may be stored on acomputer-readable storage medium or in a computing system. In someembodiments, these software modules may configure a computing system toperform one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of an example of a bicycle attachment1000 in accordance with the present disclosure. In this example, thebicycle attachment 1000 comprises a bar 1002 that spans from one of theside rails 316 to the other. The bar 1002 is positioned to along thelength of the side rails 316 to allow the handlebars 1004 of the bicycle322 pass through a gap formed between the bar 1002 and the console 314of the treadmill. After the handlebars pass through the gap, the bicycle322 may be moved rearward such that a portion of the handlebars isagainst the bar 1002.

In some examples where both the front wheel and the rear wheel of thebicycle are in contact with the tread belt and the bicycle attachment ofFIG. 10 is used, the bicycle may have the ability to tilt within alimited range because the bicycle connection is not rigid. Further, withsuch a non-rigid connection, the bicycle may move from side to sidewithin a limited range, as well as move forward and backwards within alimited range.

In some examples, the bar 1002 have a straight shape as depicted in FIG.10. But, in other examples, the bar 1002 have at least a curved portion,a bent portion, or another type of portion that assists is positioningthe bicycle with respect to the treadmill 102. In some examples, the bar1002 supports at least a portion of a weight of the bicycle through thebar attachment 1000. In such an example, the bar 1002 may be positionedsuch that the front wheel of the bicycle 322 is lifted off of the treadbelt. In some examples, having just the rear wheel in contact with thetread belt may reduce the number of forces affecting the bicycle'sstability.

FIG. 11 depicts a perspective view of another example of a bicycleattachment 1000. In this example, a clamp 1100 is attached to thehandlebars of the bicycle 322 at a first end. On a second end of theclamp 1100, the clamp 1100 is connected to a bar 1002 that connects tothe treadmill's side rails 316. In this example, the clamp 1100 rigidlyattaches the bicycle 322 to the treadmill such that the handlebars ofthe bicycle cannot move with respect to the treadmill.

While this example has been described with specific reference to a clampwith a specific shape and arrangement, any appropriate type of clampand/or other type of attachment may be used. For example, twoindependent clamps may be attached to each of the handlebars to connectthe handlebars to the treadmill's side rails. Further, the attachmentmechanism may connect the handlebars or a portion of the bicycle's frameto a portion of the treadmill other than the side rails. For example,the attachment mechanism may be attached to the console or a portion ofthe treadmill proximate the console. Further, the attachment mechanismmay include different types of attachment features such as screw clamps,elastomeric material, compression fits, groove and tongue slots, hooks,cables, fasteners, other types of attachment features, or combinationsthereof.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. But, the illustrativediscussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodimentswere chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of thepresent systems and methods and their practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best use the present systems andmethods and various embodiments with various modifications as may besuited to the particular use contemplated.

Unless otherwise noted, the terms “a” or “an,” as used in thespecification and claims, are to be construed as meaning “at least oneof.” In addition, for ease of use, the words “including” and “having,”as used in the specification and claims, are interchangeable with andhave the same meaning as the word “comprising.” In addition, the term“based on” as used in the specification and the claims is to beconstrued as meaning “based at least upon.” Throughout this disclosurethe term “example” or “exemplary” indicates an example or instance anddoes not imply or require any preference for the noted example. Thus,the disclosure is not to be limited to the examples and designsdescribed herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent withthe principles and novel features disclosed herein.

THE GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In general, the invention disclosed herein may provide the user with atreadmill that has a natural feel for training across multiple types ofexercises, such as foot exercises, cycling exercises, and others.Embodiments of the treadmill systems herein may allow the user to useher own bicycle or other equipment while training indoors and undercontrolled conditions. Thus, muscle groups, balance, posture, and otherelements are more effectively trained. Additionally, embodiments of thetreadmill systems may provide the user with an estimate of workperformed whether on foot or cycling, allowing her to track progress andincrease exercise efficiency interchangeably between each exercise type.Changing between exercise types may allow users to train using footexercise and cycling exercises on the same piece of equipment,potentially reducing storage space requirements for the user. Further,users training for a triathlon may train for the transition betweencycling and running with the treadmill system described above.

In some cases, the system described above may also allow the user tofocus on training without determining whether the treadmill system isset to the proper exercise mode because the treadmill system candetermine the type of exercise being performed by the user andaccordingly adjust the parameters of the treadmill to account for thedifferent exercises changes. For example, when the user performs a footexercise on the treadmill, the treadmill speeds and other parameters ofthe treadmill can automatically adjust to for foot exercises. On theother hand, when the user is cycling, the treadmill system canautomatically adjust to speeds appropriate for cycling.

Cycling and foot exercises may demand different levels of exertion tomove a given distance. Thus, the treadmill system described herein maycalculate work performed by the user based on the type of exerciseperformed. For instance, in some cases the system may track aproportionally higher rate of work performed for foot exercise incomparison to work performed during cycling. Additionally, such systemsmay identify optimal biometric measurements for each type of exercise,such as by identifying an optimal heart rate or pace for foot exercisethat differs from cycling. Differentiation between foot exercise andcycling may also provide a more immersive exercise experience intreadmills having simulated workout scenery videos by allowing the videodisplay to simulate the conditions of the different types of exercise inthe video depending on the exercise being performed.

Embodiments of the combined foot exercise and cycling treadmill maydetermine work performed by the user using a control module thatreceives output of a motion transducer which tracks movement of thetread belt such as displacement or velocity. Such a control module mayinclude a processor and memory to determine the amount of workperformed. Such a control module may determine the amount of workperformed based on the weight of the user, the average weight of atypical user, the weight of the bicycle, and other factors, orcombinations thereof. The work performed may also be scaled based on thetype of exercise performed, the gearing settings of the bicycle beingused, and/or biological characteristics the user, or combinationsthereof.

The position of the user or bicycle may be determined relative to thetreadmill using a position sensor. In some embodiments the positionsensor may include a tether attached to the user or bicycle, and thetension or displacement of the tether may be sensed to determine theposition of the user on the treadmill. Additionally or alternatively,the position sensor may have a wireless transceiver that receives asignal from the user or bicycle. The signal may have a propertyindicating the position of the user or bicycle or may be coded withinformation directly dictating the position of the user. In otherexamples, the position sensor includes a camera that can determine thevertical position of the user relative to the tread belt. Such a cameramay determine whether a bicycle is positioned on the tread belt, whethera user is positioned on the tread belt, whether a user is positioned onthe tread belt without a bicycle, other determinations, or combinationsthereof.

By determining the position of the user or bicycle on the treadmill, acontrol module may adjust the speed of the tread belt to reactivelysimulate exercise on a non-treaded surface. For example, when cycling,the control module may increase the speed of the tread belt when thebicycle's position approaches the front of the treadmill or may decreasethe speed of the tread belt when the bicycle drifts backward, therebykeeping the bicycle approximately centered in the treadmill. This allowsthe cyclist to naturally vary her speed on the treadmill without movingoff of the treadmill. Additionally, braking the bicycle may be used toslow the speed of the treadmill and allow an essentially “touch-free”riding experience to the cyclist, where tread belt motion is independentof the user's interaction with control buttons or other input mechanismof the control console. These position-based features may or may not bedisabled for foot exercise, as desired by the user. When enabled forfoot exercise, the adjustment features and tread belt speed settings maybe calibrated to closely follow standard foot exercise speeds and ratesof change in speed, which may differ significantly from cycling speedsand rates of change in speed. Thus, one treadmill may quickly andseamlessly provide multiple exercise activities. Triathlon competitorsmay find this fast-changing capability advantageous in practicingtransitions between foot racing and cycling in a controlled environment.

In some embodiments, the position of the user may be determined byreceiving a signal from a wireless transmitter on the user or thebicycle. These embodiments may include a transmitter such as, forexample, a smartphone, a Bluetooth® transmitter device, or otherwireless communications-enabled electronic transmitter. A passive devicecapable of wireless detection, such as a radio-frequency identification(RFID) tag, near-field communications (NFC) tag, or otherpassively-detectable device may also be detected with the treadmill toestablish positioning.

While the present disclosure has thus far been directed primarily towardthe field of triathlon training, it will be understood by those havingskill in the art and having the benefit of this disclosure that elementsand principles disclosed herein are applicable in other fields andscenarios, including, without limitation, general running and cyclingexercise, training for running or cycling events other than triathlons,physical fitness, physical training, rehabilitation, walking, jogging,and the like. Similarly, while this disclosure relates particularly toexercise using bicycles, it will be understood that in addition tobicycles, other human-powered wheeled vehicles may be used or benefitfrom the present disclosure, such as, for example, tricycles orunicycles. Furthermore, the present disclosure should be construed asextending to all kinds of these wheeled vehicles, whether or not theyare designed particularly for racing or for use on roadways.

In some cases, the treadmill may include a tread base that may have adeck and a tread belt. The tread base may also include a support framethat may rest on a support surface. The frame may have one or moreupright supports connected to a console, side rails, and uprighthandles. A cyclist may be positioned on a bicycle riding on the treadbelt. The bicycle may be connected to the treadmill with a tether. Thebicycle may also include one or more additional wheels extending from atleast one of its wheels into contact with the tread base. Theseadditional wheels may contact the tread base at all times, or may beraised from the tread base to only contact the tread base when thebicycle tilts to a certain angle. Thus, the additional wheels may beconfigured similar to traditional training wheels, where one wheel ispositioned extending to each side of the bicycle from an extension bar.Using the additional wheels may improve the stability of the bicycle forthe cyclist while the tether is in use. The additional wheels may bedesigned to have low friction when in contact with the tread belt todamage prevent heat induced damage to the tread belt 308 while in use.

The tether may removably attach to the bicycle or to the user. Thetether may be part of a motion or position sensing system or as part ofan exercise detection module, such as by connection with a transducer,motion transducer, and/or exercise detection module. In such cases, thetension or displacement of the tether and related portions of thetreadmill may be used to determine the position of the user or bicycle.The position of the user or bicycle may then be used to control thespeed of the tread belt, or to determine the type of exercise performed.The tread base may include a motor to drive the tread belt and may becapable of inclination and declination. The motor may be used to inclineand decline the deck and tread belt. Thus, the deck and tread belt maybe used for cycling or foot exercise in an inclined or declined angle.

In some cases, the side rails of the treadmill may extend along thelength of the tread base. The side rails may also include controls forthe speed, incline, and other features of the treadmill. By placing atleast some of the controls on the side rails, the controls may beaccessible while cycling. Other controls may be unduly difficult toreach and control while cycling since the cyclist is behind handlebarsand a front wheel of the bicycle. Extended side rails 316 may alsoprovide an additional point of stability for a cyclist mounting abicycle on the tread belt 308 and help keep the bicycle in position onthe tread belt.

The console may be supported with upright supports and side rails. Theconsole may be positioned nearby upright handles. The console mayinclude a screen, interactive buttons, speakers, a safety clip, a tetherattachment point, air vents, and storage spaces. The upright handles mayinclude sensors such as heart rate or body fat sensors to collect dataabout the user while he or she exercises. Side rail controls mayconveniently allow control of at least some settings of the treadmillwhile the user is cycling and the other buttons may be difficult toreach.

The buttons may be used to control the speed, incline, video, audio,vents' output, and other settings of the treadmill. In some embodiments,the buttons may include a feature for specifying the type of exercisebeing performed on the treadmill, such as, for example, an exercise typetoggle button or selection switch.

The safety clip may be attached to a tether extending from the consoleto attach to the user or his bicycle while riding the treadmill. Thistether may act as a safety mechanism in that when the tether is pulledfar enough from the clip, the clip may be removed and cause thetreadmill to immediately or gradually stop motion of the exercisesurface.

A positioning tether may extend from the attachment point to the user orbicycle. The positioning tether may be used in positioning the user orbicycle relative to the treadmill, such as in positioning the user orbicycle relative to the console. The positioning tether attached to theattachment point may hang from the console, and the tension in thepositioning tether may be measured to detect the position of the userbased on the weight of the positioning tether and the distance betweenthe attachment point and the user or bicycle. In these embodiments, thepositioning tether may have a constant length that does not extend orretract from the console. Some arrangements may have a positioningtether having elastic properties, wherein the length of the positioningtether may not be constant, but the tension in the positioning tetherbetween the user or cycle and the console may increase or decrease inresponse to movement of the user or bicycle relative to the console. Inanother embodiment, the positioning tether may be wound around a tetherattachment reel that unwinds and rewinds the positioning tether as theuser or bicycle moves toward or away from the console. Thus, angulardisplacement of the reel or linear displacement of the positioningtether may correlate with the position of the user or bicycle. A motionor position transducer at the attachment point may read the displacementof the tether or reel and send that information to a control module todetermine the exercise performed or to control the speed of the treadbase.

A position transceiver may be attached to the bicycle or to the user.The position transceiver may be an actively or passively detectabledevice, such as a signal emitter or RFID tag, as described in greaterdetail in connection with the preceding figures.

The position transceiver may be used as a reference point to determinethe position of the user or the bicycle. For example, the positiontransceiver may be attached to the user or the bicycle at apredetermined location, such as on a belt loop, collar, front handlebar,front fork, or other portion of the user or bicycle. Thus, a nominalposition of the position transceiver relative to the tread belt may beestablished. In the illustrated embodiment, the position transceiver isattached to a handlebar of the bicycle. The center of bounding box maybe an exemplary nominal position for the position transceiver. As therunner or cyclist exercises on the tread base, the position of theposition transceiver may be monitored. If the position transceiver movesforward toward the front end of the bounding box, the speed of the treadbelt may be increased. Similarly, movement of the position transceiverbackward toward the rear end of the bounding box may result in the speedof the tread belt being decreased. By controlling the speed of the treadbelt, the position transceiver may be automatically repositioned to stayin and around the nominal position within the bounding box based on thenatural acceleration and deceleration of the operator. Thus,accelerating on foot or on a bicycle causes the tread belt to accelerateand the position transceiver (and connected user or bicycle) is keptfrom falling off the front of the tread base or colliding with theupright supports or console.

In some embodiments, there may be no position transceiver attached tothe user or bicycle. In such instances, the position transceiver may bereplaced with a sensed position of a runner, cyclist, or bicycle throughother means, such as through sensing the position using a tether oranother positioning system. In these embodiments, the movement of thesensed position within the bounding box may affect the speed of thetread belt, as described in connection with the position transceiver.For example, the tread belt may accelerate as the rangefinder senses theposition of a bicycle approaching the front end of the bounding box.

The bounding box may have adjustable dimensions. Some arrangements mayhave a bounding box that is larger for running than for cycling, forexample. This may be advantageous since the high speeds of cyclingcompared to running would allow for less margin of error in speedadjustments to keep the cyclist in a predetermined nominal position whencompared to running. Thus, when switching between settings for cyclingor foot exercise, the bounding box size parameters may be adjusted. Theamount of speed adjustment relative to motion within the bounding boxmay also vary based on the type of exercise being performed. Forexample, the tread belt may accelerate/decelerate more per inch ofmovement within the bounding box for cycling than for foot exercise.

In some embodiments, the position transceiver may be detected within avertical dimension of the bounding box, such as relative to the top edgeand the bottom edge. This vertical position may be used to determine thetype of exercise being performed, such as a higher registercorresponding with cycling versus a lower register for running, or viceversa. Individual implementations may thus vary the vertical size of thebounding box to fit the needs of each user.

What is claimed is:
 1. A treadmill system, comprising: a deck; anendless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck; a positionsensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on the treadbelt; and a control module that adjusts a speed of the tread belt inresponse to an output of the position sensor.
 2. The treadmill system ofclaim 1, wherein the control module determines whether the user is onfoot or on a bicycle in response to the output of the position sensor.3. The treadmill system of claim 1, wherein the control module adjuststhe speed of the tread belt in response to an output of position sensor.4. The treadmill system of claim 1, wherein the position sensorcomprises a tether attachable to the user or a bicycle.
 5. The treadmillsystem of claim 4, wherein the tether is wound in a reel.
 6. Thetreadmill system of claim 4, wherein the position sensor detects adisplacement of the tether.
 7. The treadmill system of claim 4, whereinthe position sensor detects a tension on the tether.
 8. The treadmillsystem of claim 7, wherein the control module adjusts the speed of thetread belt in response to the tension.
 9. The treadmill system of claim1, wherein the position sensor comprises a wireless transceiver thatreceives a wireless signal when the user or a bicycle is on the treadbelt, wherein the control module determines the position of the user orthe bicycle relative to the tread belt in response to a signal receivedwith the wireless transceiver.
 10. The treadmill system of claim 9,wherein the wireless signal comprises the position of the user or thebicycle.
 11. The treadmill system of claim 9, wherein the wirelesssignal comprises a gear setting of the bicycle.
 12. The treadmill systemof claim 1, wherein the control module determines a type of exerciseperformed on the tread belt in response to a vertical position of theuser sensed with the position sensor.
 13. The treadmill system of claim1, wherein the control module determines the work performed by the userbased at least in part on a type of exercise performed by the user. 14.The treadmill system of claim 1, wherein the control module adjusts thespeed of the tread belt more slowly when the user is performing acycling exercise than when the user is performing foot exercise.
 15. Atreadmill system, comprising: a deck; an endless tread belt covering atleast a portion of the deck; a position sensor that senses a position ofa user when the user is on the tread belt; and a processor and memory,wherein the memory comprises programmed instructions executable by theprocessor to: adjust a speed of the tread belt based on an output of theposition sensor; determine whether the user is on foot or on a bicyclebased on the output of the position sensor; and determine an amount ofwork performed by the user based at least in part a type of exerciseperformed by the user.
 16. The treadmill system of claim 15, wherein theprogrammed instructions are executable by the processor to adjust thespeed of the tread belt more slowly when the user is performing acycling exercise than when the user is performing foot exercise.
 17. Thetreadmill system of claim 15, wherein the position sensor comprises atether attachable to the user or the bicycle.
 18. The treadmill systemof claim 17, wherein the tether wound in a reel.
 19. The treadmillsystem of claim 17, wherein the position sensor detects a displacementof the tether.
 20. A treadmill system, comprising: a deck; an endlesstread belt covering at least a portion of the deck; a position sensorthat senses a position of a user when the user is on the tread belt; theposition sensor comprises a tether attachable to the user or a bicyclethat is wound in a reel, and the position sensor detects a displacementof the tether; and a processor and memory, wherein the memory comprisesprogrammed instructions executable by the processor to: adjust a speedof the tread belt based on an output of the position sensor; determinewhether the user is on foot or on the bicycle based on the output of theposition sensor; determine the work performed by the user based at leastin part a type of exercise performed by the user; and adjust the speedof the tread belt more slowly when the user is performing a cyclingexercise than when the user is performing foot exercise.